Color Me Domestic - Tabouli Salad

It is always nice starting the work week on a Tuesday! I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day Weekend.

You've probably had your fill of potato or pasta salads this weekend. But Memorial Day officially opens up the summer BBQ circuit and today's recipe will shake things up for your next one.

Tabouli (or tabbouleh, tabouleh or tabbouli) is traditionally an Arab salad but variations are found in several Mediterranean cuisines. The core ingredients are bulgur wheat, tomato, cucumber, onion, parsley, mint, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. The recipe below is how I usually make it but if you love any particular flavor in this salad more than another feel free to add more to your version!

Tabouli Salad (originally via The Food Network)

Ingredients

 - 1 cup water 
 - 1 cup fine cracked wheat (like bulgar)
 - 1 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
 - 1/2 cup minced fresh mint leaves
 - 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
 - 3 tomatoes, diced
 - 2 cucumbers, seeded and diced
 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
 - 3 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
 - 1 teaspoons sea salt

Process
In a large mixing bowl pour the water over the bulgar wheat and cover for 20-30 minutes while other ingredients are prepped. Combine the oil, lemon juice and salt in a small bowl. Chop the herbs, onion, tomatoes, cucumbers and toss together in the bowl with the dressing. When the wheat is tender and all the water has been absorbed toss in the vegetables and dressing and chill for 30 minutes before serving.

This salad is the kind that is better the next day because all of those flavors work together. The onion is softened and the herbs are more potent. Make it the night before your party. Or, make a batch on Sunday and snack on it all week long!

Color Me Domestic - Middle Eastern Soup

It is officially soup season and around here soup is a weekly ritual. The big le creuset is brought out, veggies are chopped and garlic minced. The best part is when all the ingredients have to simmer together and our small lofted one bedroom space smells wonderful.

We found this one over the weekend and it has warmed us up over these very chilly nights. We used red lentils which actually turn golden when cooked.

Middle Eastern Vegetable & Lentil Soup

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 ribs of celery, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

6 cups low sodium vegetable broth

1 & 1/4 cups dry lentils, rinsed and drained

5 cups eggplant, diced (1 small to medium eggplant)

2 zucchini, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp grated lemon zest

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/8 tsp pepper (or more to taste)

Process

Heat the oil in a non-stick dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are lightly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cumin and cook until fragrant for about 1 minute.

Add the broth and the lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered for about 15 minutes. Add the eggplant and return to a boil. Return to a simmer again and cook again for 15 minutes.

Stir in the zucchini, tomato and salt and return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the zucchini is just softened but still colorful, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest, juice and pepper. 

Serve it up and enjoy. 

Color Me Domestic - Shiitaki Mushroom Tacos

Taco night is a staple in many homes far and wide. But every once in a while it is nice to shake things up and go beyond the "brown meat, add seasoning, serve with toppings" routine.

For our new take on Taco night we turned to the handy-dandy Herbivoracious cook book by blogger Michael Natkin for Shiitake Tacos with Asian Pear Slaw.

Ingredients:
taco filling:
 - 4 jalapeno peppers
 - 6 garlic cloves (not peeled)
 - 3 tbsp vegetable oil
 - 1 white onion, diced
 - 1 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and quartered
 - 2/3 head of bok choy*, carefully washed and cut into 1-inch slices
 - 1 tsp kosher salt
 - 1/2 tsp ground cumin
 - ground cinnamon

slaw:
 - Juice of 1 lime
 - 1 Asian pear 
 - 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
 - A handful of fresh cilantro leaves
 - 1/4 tsp kosher salt

And tortillas!

For the filling: place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Without adding any oil, dry roast the jalapenos and unpeeled garlic cloves until blistered and charred, about 8 minutes, turning a couple of times and then remove from heat. When the jalapenos are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the stems. Remove the seeds and the ribs if you want a milder dish, then cut the peppers into thin slices. Remove the skin from the garlic cloves and roughly chop.

Return the skillet to high heat. Add the oil and when it is shimmering, add the white onion. Saute until moderately browned, about 5 minutes. Add the shiitakes and saute until the shiitakes begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the roasted jalapenos, roasted garlic, bok choy, salt, cumin and a pinch of cinnamon. Cook, stirring occassionally, until the leaves of the bok choy have wilted and the stems are mostly tender but still have a bit of a bite, about 6 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.



For the slaw: Put the lime juice into a small bowl. Peel, quarter and core the Asian pear. Using a mandoline or a knife, julienne the Asian pear (cut it into thin, slices... think of a thick shredded carrot), tossing with the lime juice as soon as it's cut so it doesn't brown. Add the red onion, cilantro and salt.

To serve: Wrap the corn tortillas in a damp, clean dishtowel and microwave until soft and steaming, about 2 minutes. Make 8 stacks of 2 tortillas each. Top each pair of tortillas with a big spoonful of filling, and a smaller spoonful of the slaw and enjoy! This recipe makes 8 tacos which serves 4 or 2 with left overs.

This recipe is Vegan and Gluten Free as long as the tortillas are corn and certified G.F.

* Bok Choy: this is the full grown vegetable, not baby bok choy. Usually bok choy is 10-12 inches long with dark green leaves. The base looks like the base of a celery bunch but it will be a white color. If you can't find it, ask the friendly person at your local grocery store!

If you haven't worked with jalapenos before use a pair of disposable rubber gloves (or, if you're like me and don't just have those lying around, use two zip lock bags, one on each hand) when handling the pepper and the seeds. They can burn your hands and the worst case scenario would be transferring the capsaicin to your eyes! OUCH!

Color Me Domestic - Red Wine Capellini

Pasta is always an easy base for any meal and can be combined with nearly anything you can imagine. Seafood, chicken and almost every vegetable will flawlessly pair with the pasta of your choice. And, what can be easier than boil water, add salt, cooking pasta, rinse and serve?

Color Me Styled found a way to elevate your pasta standbys with this "peppery absorption-cooked red-wine capellini" dish from Michael Natkin's debut cookbook, Heriboracious. Earlier this summer we met Michael at Heaven on Seven in Chicago for a vegetarian's delight of snacks and great conversation between foodies.

Yes, we cooked dinner at 9:30 but it was a Friday night in if that helps.

The absorption method might seem odd and frankly, scary, to those of us who have the boil, salt, cook, rinse and serve mantra down pat but it is super easy and adds this rich flavor to the pasta itself. This dish is is flavorful and peppery and great for a date night in.

Vegan peppery absorption-cooked red-win capellini (serves 4 or two with left-overs)

Ingredients
 - 1 lb capellini
 - 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
 - half a large white onion, thinly sliced
 - 6 garlic cloves, minced
 - kosher salt
 - 1 1/2 lbs zucchini diced (about two medium zucchinis)
 - 1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch lengths
 - 1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
 - 1 tbsp smoked paprika
 - 1 tsp black pepper
 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
 - 2 tbsp fresh oregano
 - 1 tsp fresh rosemary
 - 1 1/4 cups red wine (we used an inexpensive Spanish Tempranillo), plus additional
 - 1 1/4 cups water, plus additional
 - minced fresh flatleaf parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 375. Break the capellini into approximately 3-inch lengths and spread on a baking sheet (no oil or cooking spray needed). Slide into over and toast, tossing occasionally with tongs until golden brown. About 10 minutes.

Measure out the 1 1/4 cups of wine and then pour a glass for yourself and your cooking buddy. Make sure there is at least 1/2 cup remaining in the bottle. Cheers. 

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot (at least 5 1/2 quarts) with a lid over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and a pinch of salt and cooking for about 5 minutes (the onions should soften but not brown). Increase the heat to medium-high and add the zucchini and another pinch of salt. Saute until the zucchini is well browned, about 5 more minutes.

Place the toasted noodles on top of the zucchini mixture. Layer the asparagus and 1 cup of the cherry tomatoes on top of that and sprinkle the smoked paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano and rosemary. Pour the red wine and water over the top and toss as best you can with tongs. It is tricky to toss it at first because the pasta is stiff. Return the heat to medium and cover the pot.

Every 2-3 minutes, toss the pasta (and cover again) for a total of 8-12 minutes. Toward the end, taste a noodle each time you remove the lid to see if it is done. If you run out of liquid left on the bottom of the pot, add a bit more water or wine about 1/3 cup at a time.

When the noodles are cooked to your liking, transfer to serving bowls. Garnish the pasta with the remaining cherry tomatoes, parsley and another grind of pepper. Serve immediately.

This dish is vegan as described but you can add some Parmesan cheese to the top if you like. But, we suggest trying it without the cheese first to get the true flavors of the dish. And for those of you who think no meal is complete without a meat portion, we encourage you to try this vegan dish. You won't miss the meat, we promise.